Overview

The Antioch Bible from Gorgias presents a new idiomatic English translation based on the Aramaic text of the Syriac Peshitta. In this collection, you’ll find the 10 completed volumes in the series, each providing the original Syriac text alongside an English translation. The translations are the work of an international team of scholars from North America and Europe, and the original text was prepared by individuals who grew using the Peshitta Bible, in consultation with leading biblical scholars.

The goal of this project is “to provide a reliable text for scholars and students who are looking for a fully vocalized Syriac text, and to make available to religious communities, for whom this text is sacred, an English translation that can be used in various religious and cultural settings” (George Kiraz, editor in chief, Gorgias Press). The Antioch Bible volumes make the Syriac Bible available to the modern reader in an idiomatic English translation, with footnotes that point out literal expressions in the original Syriac.

Why the Peshitta Bible?

The Peshitta Bible is one of the earliest versions of the Scripture dating back to the times of the Early Church, and is the only version written in a Semitic setting similar to that of the ancient Israelites and early Christians. Syriac, the language of the Peshitta, is a dialect of Aramaic akin to the Aramaic of the Jewish exile and the Palestinian Aramaic of Jesus Christ. This sociolinguistic connection with the Semitic world gives new insights into the words of the Bible, currently undisclosed by Western languages. Moreover, the Peshitta Bible is full of distinctive readings that are absent in other versions. The Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible, probably originated as a Jewish targum “translation” and was inherited by the Early Church. It is rich with links to the ancient Jewish exegetical tradition. The New Testament, in particular the Gospels, is a revision of an older Syriac version that dates back to the early centuries of the Early Church.

In the Logos editions, the Antioch Bible is enhanced by amazing functionality. Easily cross-reference with your other English translations, while important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take your study with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

Makes the Syriac Bible accessible to the modern reader

Works from the Syriac Peshitta Bible

Presents the Syriac text alongside new English translations

Compiled and translated by a distinguished team of international Syriac scholars

Deuteronomy according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

This volume couples a modern English translation of Deuteronomy from the Peshitta version with the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. This edition considers and caters to the needs of all readers: those wanting to read the text in English, those wanting to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those wanting to focus on a fully vocalized Syriac text. Each group will find this volume valuable.

Carmel McCarthy is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, having taught Hebrew and Syriac in the department of Near Eastern languages at University College Dublin since 1968, where she also earned her BA and MA in Near Eastern Languages.

George Kiraz is the director of Beth Mardutho (The Syriac Institute) and editor in chief of Gorgias Press. He received an MSt. in Syriac studies from the University of Oxford under Sebastian Brock and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in computational linguistics. He was a research scientist at Bell Laboratories before he co-founded Gorgias Press. His publications include Concordance to the Syriac New Testament, Comparative Edition to the Syriac Gospels, and a monograph on Syriac orthography. Kiraz prepares the Syriac text for the Antioch Bible and edits the series with Andreas Juckel.

Joseph Bali completed his academic studies in the field of philosophy and then joined St. Ephrem Seminary, Damascus, in 2007. A year later, he became a monk and in 2011 he was ordained as a priest. He is currently a PhD candidate in philosophy in the University of Athens, working on the influence of Greek Philosophy on the works of Bar Hebraeus. He is fluent in Syriac, Arabic, French, English and Greek.

The Book of Isaiah according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

This volume, the first completed in the series, presents Gillian Greenberg and Donald Walter’s translation of the Peshitta of Isaiah. It also includes the Syriac text of the book of Isaiah in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed, prepared by George Kiraz and Joseph Bali. The Peshitta, a translation from the Hebrew, was probably written in Edessa in Mesopotamia in the second century AD. Greenberg and Walter furnish an introduction, giving background information about the Syriac text, and explain and illustrate their translation technique.

Addenda are included in the introduction, giving examples of mistranslation from the original Hebrew into Syriac, examples of apparent corruption of the Syriac text having occurred prior to extant manuscripts, and a discussion of many passages which are particularly difficult. Appendixes are also provided. The first compares the versification of the Syriac text used here, printed in Mosul by the Dominicans in the nineteenth century, with that of manuscript 7a1 as edited and used as the basic text of the Leiden Peshitta edition of Isaiah. A second appendix compares the variants of Mosul with Leiden and indicates when its variants lack any support from ancient manuscripts. And the third appendix surveys the rendering of Hebrew names into Syriac.

Gillian Greenberg started her career in medicine. After retirement from medicine, she studied languages, particularly those in the Semitic group. She joined the department of Hebrew and Jewish studies in University College London, where she did her PhD on translation technique in the Peshitta under Michael Weitzman. She now teaches Syriac there.

Donald Walter completed his doctoral dissertation under Charles T. Fritsch, James Barr, and Philip C. Hammond, and became the editor of Psalms and later Jeremiah for the Peshitta Institute’s critical edition of the Old Testament. He has served as an editor of the first volume of the Concordance to the Torah, also issued by the Institute.

Jeremiah according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

In this volume Gillian Greenberg and Donald Walter present their translations of the Peshitta text of Jeremiah. Additionally, George Kiraz and Joseph Bali have prepared the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. Extensive annotations offer either literal or alternative translations for many verses. There are also three addenda which give examples of mistranslation from the original Hebrew into Syriac, examples of apparent corruption of the Syriac text which occurred prior to extant manuscripts, and a discussion of the Syriac translation of many passages of particularly difficult Hebrew.

You’ll also benefit from three appendixes. The first compares the versification of the Syriac text used here, printed in Mosul by the Dominicans in the nineteenth century, with that of manuscript 7a1 as edited and used as the basic text of the Leiden Peshitta edition of Jeremiah. A second compares the variants of Mosul with Leiden and indicates when its variants lack any support from ancient manuscripts. A third gives surveys of the rendering of Hebrew names into Syriac. This publication caters to all readers: those who want to read the text in English, those who want to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those who want the opportunity to read a fully vocalized Syriac text.

Lamentations, Prayer of Jeremiah, Epistle of Jeremiah, and the Epistles of Baruch according to the Syriac Peshitta with English Translation

Explore Gillian Greenberg and Donald Walter’s translations of Lamentations, Prayer of Jeremiah, Epistle of Jeremiah, and the Epistles of Baruch. This volume also includes the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed, prepared by George Kiraz and Joseph Bali. The text also has annotations which give either literal or alternative translations to many verses, helping you to deepen your study. There are also three addenda which give examples of mistranslation from the original Hebrew into Syriac, examples of apparent corruption of the Syriac text which occurred prior to extant manuscripts, and a discussion of the Syriac translation of many passages of particularly difficult Hebrew.

The volume also includes three appendixes. The first compares the versification of the Syriac text used here, printed in Mosul by the Dominicans in the nineteenth century, with that of manuscript 7a1, as edited and used as the basic text of the Leiden Peshitta edition of Lamentations and the Epistles of Baruch. A second appendix compares the variants of Mosul with Leiden and indicates when its variants lack any support from ancient manuscripts. And a third appendix surveys the rendering of Hebrew names into Syriac. This publication caters to all readers: those who want to read the text in English, those who want to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those who want the opportunity to read a fully vocalized Syriac text.

The Book of the Twelve Prophets according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

This volume offers Gillian Greenberg and Donald Walter’s translation of the Peshitta of the Twelve Minor Prophets, while George Kiraz and Joseph Bali have prepared the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. The Peshitta, a translation from the Hebrew, was probably written in Edessa in Mesopotamia in the second century AD.

Greenberg and Walter furnish an introduction which gives background information about the Syriac text, as well as explains and illustrates their translation technique. Addenda are included in the introduction, giving examples of mistranslation from the original Hebrew into Syriac, examples of apparent corruption of the Syriac text having occurred prior to our extant manuscripts, and a discussion of many passages which are particularly difficult. Appendixes are also provided. The first compares the versification of the Syriac text used here, printed in Mosul by the Dominicans in the nineteenth century, with that of manuscript 7a1 as edited and used as the basic text of the Leiden Peshitta edition of Isaiah. A second compares the variants of Mosul with Leiden and indicates when its variants lack any support from ancient manuscripts. The third surveys the rendering of Hebrew names into Syriac.

The Gospel of Matthew according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

Examine the Peshitta of Matthew in translation by Jeff Childers, and in the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed. The Peshitta Matthew is not an independent translation from the Greek, but represents a process of revision of earlier Syriac versions (the Diatessaron and the Old Syriac), culminating in the early fifth century, after which the Peshitta became the standard form of the Gospel text for all the Syriac Churches. To produce the Peshitta, the ancient editors revised the text to bring it more in line with the Greek text, though traces of the earlier versions remain. Childers furnishes an introduction giving background information about the Syriac text, and explains his translation technique. He also discusses examples of noteworthy and difficult readings.

Jeff Childers is the Carmichael-Walling Chair of New Testament and Early Christianity in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. He received the DPhil in Syriac studies at the University of Oxford for his research on Syriac translations of Greek patristic literature. His primary areas of research and writing include biblical text, New Testament textual criticism, and Syriac patristics. Childers translated the Gospels for the Antioch Bible.

The Gospel of Mark according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

This volume contains the Peshitta of Mark, translated into English by Jeff Childers, as well as the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed, and prepared by George Kiraz. Although the Gospel of Mark was not the most widely read Gospel in the ancient Church, its remarkable text attracts keen attention today. Most scholars believe that it was the first of the canonical Gospels to be written, and contemporary readers are drawn to the brisk and direct style of its dramatic presentation of Jesus. The Peshitta Mark is not an independent translation from the Greek, but represents a process of revision of earlier Syriac versions (the Diatessaron and the Old Syriac), culminating in the early fifth century, after which the Peshitta became the standard form of the Gospel text for all the Syriac Churches. To produce the Peshitta, the ancient editors revised the text to bring it more in line with the Greek text, though traces of the earlier versions remain. Childers furnishes an introduction giving background information about the Syriac text, and explains his translation technique. He also discusses noteworthy and difficult readings.

The Gospel of Luke according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

In this volume, Jeff Childers presents his English translation of the Peshitta of Luke. You can also find the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed.

The Gospel of Luke is the longest of the canonical Gospels and includes a number of highly memorable stories and teachings of Jesus that excited the imagination of early Christians. Some of its language and distinctive teachings were especially influential in early Syriac ascetic thought. The Peshitta Luke is not an independent translation from the Greek, but represents a process of revision of earlier Syriac versions (the Diatessaron and the Old Syriac), culminating in the early fifth century, after which the Peshitta became the standard form of the Gospel text for all the Syriac Churches. To produce the Peshitta, the ancient editor/s revised the text to bring it more in line with the Greek text, though traces of the earlier versions remain. Childers furnishes an introduction giving background information about the Syriac text. He also explains his translation technique and discusses noteworthy and difficult readings. This publication caters to all readers: those who want to read the text in English, those who want to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those who want the opportunity to read a fully vocalized Syriac text.

Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

Here you can explore Daniel King’s translation of the Syriac Peshitta version of Romans and 1 and 2 Corinthians. This volume also includes the Syriac text in the west Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed, and prepared by George Kiraz. The translation and the Syriac text are presented alongside each other for easy comparative study of the texts. The volume considers the needs of all readers: those wanting to read the text in English, those wanting to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those wanting to focus on a fully vocalized Syriac text.

Daniel King studied classical languages at Cambridge before moving into the fields of Syriac studies and theology. He specializes in the period of Greek-Syriac translations in late antiquity, in both the theological and philosophical fields. He has published on the Syriac reception of Cyril of Alexandria, Aristotle, and John Philoponus, among others. He is currently lecturer in Semitic languages at Cardiff University, UK. King is translating the Pauline epistles with James Walters.

Galatians to Philemon according to the Syriac Peshitta Version with English Translation

Explore James Walters’ modern English translations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. You can also study the Syriac text in the West Syriac script, fully vocalized and pointed, and prepared for this volume by George Kiraz. The needs of all readers are addressed in this edition: those wanting to read the text in English, those wanting to improve their grasp of Syriac by reading the original language along with a translation, and those wanting to focus on a fully vocalized Syriac text.

James Walters is currently a doctoral candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary. He works primarily with the early Syriac tradition and focuses on the literature of the fourth century. His previous work on the Syriac New Testament includes a study of the text of the Gospels in the Philoxenian Version. In addition to his translation work for the Antioch Bible, James has also published a translation of Ephrem’s “Hymns on the Unleavened Bread.” Walters is translating the Pauline epistles for the Antioch Bible with Daniel King.